“There was not one single note I didn't believe or wasn't touched by. The piece is a miracle of beauty, and so is its performance.”—Semyon Bychkov

Milan Al-Ashhab, a Czech-Palestinian violinist, is gaining recognition as a distinguished figure in the world of classical music. He laid the foundation for his steep career ascent in 2018 by winning the world-renowned Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition in Vienna. The following year, he became a prize winner of the prestigious P. I. Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow. Milan’s talent further shone in 2018 with a victory at the New York Concert Artists and Associates competition, where the violinist presented a versatile repertoire that included works by Bach, Mozart, Dvořák, Suk, Ernst, and Milstein. Additional competitive successes for Milan Al-Ashhab include prize winner titles at the Louis Spohr International Violin Competition in Weimar and the Henri Marteau International Violin Competition in Hof, Germany, as well as victories at the G. Ph. Telemann International Violin Competition in Poznań and the J. Kocian International Violin Competition in Ústí nad Orlicí.

He is a recipient of the Classic Prague Awards, the Bause Ruys Award, the Josef Hlávka Award, among others.

Milan Al-Ashhab’s solo performances have taken place on famous world stages, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna’s Musikverein, Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, the P.I. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Merkin Hall in New York, etc. He has performed with leading orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, Prague Chamber Philharmonic, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Filasteen Young Musicians Orchestra, Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, and many others.

Milan Al-Ashhab is described in reviews as a distinctive, creative, and innovative interpreter. His cantilenas are characterized by sensitivity, a wide range of colors, and a pronounced vocal-narrative character. Experts often mention Al-Ashhab’s virtuosity and his unique and unlimited technical abilities.

Milan Al-Ashhab’s repertoire includes almost all key violin works from the Baroque period to the present, with a particular fondness for the works of French Impressionists Debussy and Ravel. He also frequently presents recitals with programs for solo violin, including sonatas and partitas by J. S. Bach, as well as supremely virtuosic works by H. W. Ernst, N. Paganini, N. Milstein, and E. Ysaÿe.

Since 2014, Milan Al-Ashhab has been intensively collaborating with renowned Czech pianist and composer Adam Skoumal, with whom he has performed at countless full-length recitals. Additionally, he often devotes himself to chamber music with the famous horn player and conductor Radek Baborák.

In 2019, Milan Al-Ashhab became a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which under the leadership of Daniel Barenboim unites musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other countries of this crisis region on its projects.

Milan Al-Ashhab studied at the Conservatory in Teplice under Prof. Květoslava Hasilová, subsequently at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Prof. Ivan Štraus, and then continued his studies in the postgraduate program at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under the guidance of Prof. Peter Schuhmayer. He also expanded his horizons and interpretative education at masterclasses with personalities such as Ida Haendel, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Hagai Shaham, and Hatto Beyerle.

Milan Al-Ashhab plays on a rare Italian violin from 1770, made by the prominent representative of the Venetian violin-making school, Domenico Busan. This instrument has been generously loaned to Al-Ashhab by the Stretton Society.